Today's News

The Relay for Life committee will host a kick-off event for team captains on Jan. 17 at 6 p.m. at Roane State Community College.
“We’re going to be serving dinner for everyone who comes,” said Lindsey Lawson, publicity chair for the Relay for Life committee.
Captains of teams participating in Relay for Life are invited to this event. Any group such as a church, business, or organization can form a team.
The purpose of the event is to provide captains with information.

A local pastor showed generosity at Tuesday’s LaFollette City Council meeting. Phyllis Clinger of Community Health of East Tennessee asked the city council for $2,624. This money would help pay for the matching portion of $184,281 Department of Housing and Urban Development grant.
This grant will assist the chronically homeless in LaFollette, Clinger said. CHET is prioritizing victims of domestic violence, disabled veterans and people coming out of drug court.
“The goal is to serve nine families,” Clinger said.

Some Jellico Electric and Water System customers may notice higher bills after the town tacked formerly unpaid sanitation fees onto the charges.

During a Dec. 4 special called meeting, the mayor and board of aldermen was presented a list of 34 residential and 27 commercial customers who have not paid sanitation fees. That was set to change with the bills mailed out in December.

Jellico resident Amanda Gurganas was one of the citizens listed. She has rented her home for almost four years.

Jackie Caldwell’s failure to properly prepare an appeal has gotten it dismissed.

Caldwell was convicted of aggravated rape and is currently serving a 22 year sentence. However, she has continued to ask for leniency filing multiple motions and appeals.

The latest was a request for post conviction relief. Caldwell, who filed the motion on her own, was contending the sentence given in her case was improper and her lawyer at trial was ineffective, according to the Tennessee Criminal Court of Appeals records.